The present invention relates to an apparatus for indicating a position or location of a rescue target, such as a wrecked ship and a distressed person, by utilizing a head mounting type displaying device which is worn by a crew or operator of a flight vehicle, such as an airplane or helicopter.
In a rescue activity by a flight vehicle, a rescue target position indicating apparatus used for keeping a found rescue target in sight includes a head mounting type display or indicating device worn by a crew or operator of the flight vehicle; an input device operated by the operator; a detecting device for calculating variables necessary for computing a position of the rescue target; and an information processing device connected to the head mounting type display device, the input device, and the detecting device.
The head mounting type display device has a display which irradiates an image indicating light, and a combiner which changes an optical path of the image display light and allows light from the front to pass therethrough. When a pipper or basic image, which is visible through the combiner, corresponds to the rescue target, the input device is operated by the operator, so that based on the detected result of the detecting device, the position of the rescue target is computed by the information processing device. By an image signal sent from the information processing device to the display, a target symbol image, which indicates the position of the rescue target, is displayed by the head mounting type display device. Accordingly, even if the flight vehicle or the head of the operator is displaced, the position of the rescue target can be indicated by the target symbol image.
Conventionally, as variables used in case of computing the rescue target position, a position corresponding to latitude and longitude of the flight vehicle, a flight altitude, a posture of the flight vehicle and a posture of the head mounting type display device with respect to the flight vehicle are detected.
The position corresponding to the latitude and longitude of the flight vehicle is detected from data outputted by a Global Positioning System (GPS), and updated after a certain time interval. Accordingly, while the update is taken place, the flight vehicle moves, so that an error occurs in the position of the flight vehicle detected by the data outputted by the GPS. Therefore, there is a problem that the target symbol image indicating the position of the rescue target computed based on the detected position of the flight vehicle does not correspond to the actual rescue target, so that the rescue target may be lost in sight.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a rescue target position indicating apparatus which can solve the aforementioned problem.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.